Fred and Paula Durham downsized to a smaller house when they moved to Stephens Valley, but they won’t miss that space. Instead, they’ll be busy enjoying their new community’s pocket parks, protected green spaces and the Natchez Trace Parkway, which borders the neighborhood on three sides.

When the town center is fully developed, they can walk to nearby shops and restaurants in this new master-planned neighborhood, which straddles the Davidson-Williamson county line. Stephens Valley is off Highway 100 and Sneed and Pasquo roads. It is about 20 miles west of downtown Nashville and 12 miles northwest of Franklin.

“This is getting back to the way communities used to be,” said Fred Durham. “You can have privacy but get out and meet people.”

The Durhams are among the first residents of Stephens Valley. They moved into their new home in early November. Their home was built by Rochford Realty & Construction Co., which developed the community with Land Innovations.

Other builders active in Stephens Valley include Legend Homes, Celebration Homes, DeFatta Custom Homes and Sipple Homes. Prices range from around $500,000 to more than $1 million.

“This isn’t just housing. It’s a true community. People say, ‘I’d like to live in a place with connectivity to my neighbors,’” said developer John Rochford.

Stephens Valley is designed to encourage front-porch living. This is a DeFatta Custom Homes front porch.(Photo11: Courtesy of DeFatta Custom Homes)

Stephens Valley is intended to encourage that with homes designed for front-porch living, seven miles of trails and sidewalks and 500 acres of open space. The subdivision is a conservation easement community where 90 percent of the tree canopy is protected, as is the view shed of the adjacent Natchez Trace Parkway.

The subdivision, on the site of a 980-acre family farm, is “a true partnership with nature,” said Rochford.

Other features include a planned farmers market, swimming pool, dog park, tennis courts, playground, a fitness facility and a community garden.

Stephens Valley will not be a gated community. It will be what Rochford calls “an inclusive community.”

It will connect with a nearby school so the cross-country track team can run on the property. The developers are creating a space where bicyclists from Nashville’s growing urban neighborhoods and other locations can access the Natchez Trace Parkway.

“We hope more people can come out from the Gulch. They need a place,” said Rochford.

DeFatta Custom Homes is building houses with 2,400 to 3,850 square feet in Stephens Valley. Prices range from $600,000 to $850,000.(Photo11: Courtesy of DeFatta Custom Homes)

Outdoors enthusiasts are being invited to park their vehicles at Stephens Valley’s town center and head out on the parkway or on a scenic trail that may eventually connect with Nashville’s Warner Parks, said Tony Turnbow, president of the Natchez Trace Parkway Association.

“We saw Stephens Valley as an opportunity to make the parkway more accessible,” he said.

Rochford believes the developers’ offer to pay for improvements on Highway 100 and other roads as well as the commitment to create a conservation community has won over nearby residents who initially voiced opposition.

His commitment to protecting the natural environment of Stephens Valley was solidified by a personal experience. He was visiting the property and “met” an alligator turtle living there.

“Myrtle the turtle is what I named her. I told Myrtle when I met her five years ago walking a trail that I would protect her home forever, and that has happened with this conservation easement subdivision,” said Rochford.

When fully developed, Stephens Valley may have up to 1,200 homes, including single-family houses and, for those wanting to live in the mixed-use town center, townhomes and condo flats above the retail space.

The developers’ commitment to preserving the natural setting attracted DeFatta Custom Homes to Stephens Valley, said David DeFatta, the company’s vice president.

“The design and the planning, the open spaces and trails and the future town center” set Stephens Valley apart, he said.

The company expects to build 15 to 20 custom homes per year in Stephens Valley at prices ranging from $600,000 to $850,000. They will be 2,400 to 3,850 square feet.

For the Durhams, Stephens Valley fills in a missing piece of Nashville’s housing market. Their 2,300-square-foot house has one-level living that will allow them to stay there throughout their golden years.

They are looking forward to exploring the town center and natural areas of their new neighborhood.